- By Peggy Perry -
It's February and Cupid will soon be pulling arrows out of his quiver once again. Just look around in the dining rooms, the mailbox areas, the gathering places. There's evidence everywhere of what love has become in these later decades, in this, our newest home. Marriages of sixty and more years are not uncommon, and those couples still hold hands. Shorter unions, of partners found after earlier losses, provide widespread joy. New, close relationships have developed – we rejoice, but don't want to delve this one too deeply! The world loves lovers, and this community is filled with them.
In these later decades, we relate and love at many levels, particularly in this place where many folks are still physically active and involved. Not long ago the statistical breakdown of gender at UVTO, calculated by scanning the 2009 Winter Resident Directory, was roughly 30% couples, 60% women alone and 10% men alone. Seven tenths of the folks here do not have a live-in, long-time partner to turn to for everyday companionship and emotional support. How do they, we, find day to day sociability?
Everywhere, but perhaps most of all in the dining rooms, we recognize "friend groups" together regularly. Deeply supportive friendships have developed among regular mealtime companions, whether men, women or mixed groups. Other folks request being seated with someone different every evening, a congenial way to make new friends. If you are one who usually "orders to go," do consider having meals in the dining room as a way of staying connected and expanding your horizons. If you regularly eat alone, or as a twosome with a spouse or friend, why not occasionally try a table for four? You'll have some delightful surprises, and new residents will feel welcomed and at home all the sooner.
After recent "norovirus" quarantines, even residents who socialize regularly have found it too easy to get into a habit of climbing out of bed later than usual, spending just a little longer with the Star or the Times or the Journal, lingering over one more cup of coffee. Wet weather can exacerbate the isolation – it takes less energy to stay dry and cozy, maybe still wrapped in a bathrobe, than to scurry to the clubhouse for breakfast, hear an afternoon speaker, enjoy an after-dinner program. So, shake out the cobwebs, folks. Keep walking, keep interacting.
And remember to love yourself. Did you know that if you use a pedometer to measure the steps you take, your activity level is considered sedentary up to 5,000 steps a day? How long is a step? The translation to distance walked is a little hazy, but a mile is 5,280 feet – does 'sedentary' imply walking about a mile a day? That's the distance from the gatehouse past Lakeview, around Villa Circle, and back down Campus Drive to the main entrance! Skip sedentary. Stay sociable, stay active. Keep on loving. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!